


Babies Breath and Anemones

by dancethroughthethunder



Category: Peaky Blinders (TV)
Genre: AU! everyone is alive, Domestic Fluff, Expecting Parents, F/M, Fluff, I just want some happiness for Tommy and his family, Marriage, Married Couple, Pregnancy, Soft!, soft Tommy Shelby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:07:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27687368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dancethroughthethunder/pseuds/dancethroughthethunder
Summary: Summary: Reader and Tommy have been married for a few years and have never discussed having children before. They are each other’s first marriage (no Grace, no romance with Lizzie, etc.). Reader has been feeling under the weather and talks to the various household staff, and family members as she prepares to give some big news to her husband. Nerves ensue, general fluff and humor, with a soft!Tommy.Warnings: Mentions of pregnancy, mentions of morning sickness/getting sick, some language, mentions of/allusions to early 1900s gang activities
Relationships: Tommy Shelby/Reader, Tommy Shelby/You
Comments: 2
Kudos: 65





	Babies Breath and Anemones

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back, friends! This is from a request over at my tumblr. Babies Breath symbolize innocence (innocent lil babies) but also I mostly included them bc of the name, and Anemones symbolize anticipation! My first fic back from my hiatus and I really hope you enjoy it as much as I liked writing it. There’s not a ton of Tommy but I thought it was sweet. (Also I do have more Tommy requests in my inbox). I went ahead and named the staff because I wanted someone younger and closer to Reader than I think Frances would be and decided if I was naming one household staff member, I was naming them all.   
> Enjoy! xoxo, Meg

“Sweetheart?” 

“Yes, dear?” Without looking up from your desk, you called out to your husband, indicating that he could come into your office, a room that the two of you had redesigned to be part study part office, and was usually where you could be found when he got home from work.

“Sweetheart?” 

“Uh-huh” You absent-mindedly kept searching through the pile of papers on your desk that you had been putting off organizing, but were finally starting out of the necessity of needing a certain letter that you were sure you had just seen the day before. 

“Y/N Shelby”

“Yes, what is it, love?” You finally looked up from your desk to see your husband standing in front of you, with a smile that was equal parts amused and exasperated.

“Would you happen to know the reason why every member of our staff, and even my own family, is looking at me so oddly today?”

“Well, dear, not having seen the looks they’re giving you, I can’t exactly say, now can I?” You quickly made yourself busy with the papers on your desk in an attempt to hide your smile, given that you did, in fact, know why the staff was being weird with Tommy.

“It’s like they’re on edge?”

“Well, Tommy Shelby, head of the Shelby Family and the Peaky Blinders, I cannot think of a single reason why anyone would be nervous around you.” Your husband rolled his eyes as you winked.

“No, it’s not a scared on edge, it’s almost excited? Besides, I’m the same Tommy Shelby I was when I came home from work last night, or when I left this morning and they didn’t look at me like this then. Even my brothers, and Poll looked funny this afternoon. Did something happen today?” 

“Well…” You began as you thought back to your day. 

It all started when you woke up, feeling like if you moved a single inch you were going to get sick, but also knowing that you couldn’t stay in the same position all day. You rang for Meredith, your closest confidante in your household. Meredith had technically come on as a maid but as far as you were concerned she was the greatest gift to this planet. Meredith was equal parts maid, private secretary, confidante, and friend, and you couldn’t be more thankful for her.

As you ran to the bathroom attached to the bedroom you and your husband shared, you wished you had tied your hair back before bed, as you knew you wouldn’t have the focus to hold it back while bent over the toilet getting ill. You felt a pair of hands pull your hair back out of your face and tie it up with a ribbon right before a cool, wet cloth was delicately wiped across the back of your neck and your forehead. Not for the first time, you were incredibly thankful for the blessing that was Meredith. 

“Y/N, are you alright?” As your staff, Meredith still publicly called you Mrs. Shelby, but after weeks of insisting, she finally agreed that it was silly to address you so formally in private given all that she knew about you (and you, her). “This is the third time just this week you’ve been ill.”

“I thought it was just a bad reaction to that new place in London Tommy took me to for dinner, but now I’m not so sure. What do you think, Mer?” 

“I’m going to ring Ms. Gray.”

“Meredith”, you groaned, “I don’t need Poll, I just need some rest.”  
“That’s what you said the last time, but I’m calling her anyways. Now get back in bed until this nausea business settles.”

“You know, I could fire you for ordering me around.” You tried to crack a smile as Meredith helped you back to bed. 

“You do that, dear.” Meredith tucked you back into bed, and you noticed that somehow she had already managed to put a glass of water and a piece of bread next to your bed (your go to whenever you felt sick and needed something in your system).

Roughly an hour later, you were reading in the library when Meredith came into the room, with Polly right behind her. 

“Ms. Gray is here, Mrs. Shelby.” 

“Thank you, Meredith.” Meredith left the room as Polly crossed over and sat in the chair nearest you. Before you could tell her anything about how you were feeling, Polly reached over and grabbed one of your breasts with her hands. 

“Good morning Polly, how are you? Oh I’m under the weather, why yes you MAY grope me.” You sarcastically remarked as you closed your book.

“As I expected.” 

“I- what? Polly, would you care to invite me into this rather one sided conversation you seem to be having?” You thought you had gotten good at understanding the oddities of the Shelbys over the years of knowing and then loving and marrying your husband, but sometimes they still surprised you.

“You’re pregnant.” Polly said as matter of factly as if she was remarking on the color of your dress.

“Sorry, what?” You quickly choked out your reply.

“You’re expecting a child, dear girl.”

“Pol, you can’t just determine someone is pregnant by groping them.” Rolling your eyes, your hand flew to your stomach. Surely, you above everyone else would know if you were pregnant, right?

“I can, and I’m rather good at it. Never been wrong. But I thought you might say that so I’ve brought along a doctor.” 

One unexpected appointment with a rather kind doctor later, and it was confirmed: you were with child. The missed period and morning sickness should have been a clue, but you had been so focused on Tommy’s parliament campaign that it never even occurred to you to connect the two. As Polly had to leave for a meeting with Michael and Finn, you were left to your own devices trying to figure out what your next steps were. Polly had told you that the boys, save for your husband, would be stopping by in a few hours to pick something up, and that you might as well tell them then.

First, you went down to the kitchens. You wanted to have a nice dinner ready as a surprise to Tommy and you wanted the kitchen staff to have enough time to gather the ingredients for Tommy’s favorite dinner, and your favorite dessert. Plus, you were rather hungry and needed lunch anyways. Everyone in the kitchen offered their hearty congratulations and assured you that dinner would be ready when you were, and that it was more than enough notice. George and Alice, two members of your kitchen staff tasked with coming up with the menu most days, were extra excited to start thinking about fun first meals for the baby. George and Alice asked if Tommy knew yet, and you told them that he would before he ate their wonderfully prepared meal.

After lunch came visiting William, your driver. You needed to make sure that William knew that with more doctors appointments sure to come up, you’d be taking some more trips into the city so he should start stocking more petrol than usual in the garage. William congratulated you and told you that while it was none of his business, he would be ready to go at a moment’s notice, should you find yourself wanting to head to the hospital during labor instead of having the child at home. When William asked if Tommy knew yet, you kindly reminded him that if Tommy already knew, it would be Tommy giving him these instructions (sometimes your husband was overbearing, but he meant well and it was out of love, protection, and a fear he would never publicly admit, a fear that someone would come after you for his role in the Peakys). 

Next came Francis, your gardener. You simply wanted some new flowers for your desk, so your office would be as bright as your spirits. Francis added some babies' breath to the bouquet, knowing that while you were terrible in the garden and wouldn’t know their name, it would be a fun signal for those who did. Francis, to whom you had told that Tommy did not know yet, took one look at you and added Anemones to your bouquet, symbolizing the anticipation and expectedness that you were embodying while preparing to tell your husband the news.

After Francis you gathered the remaining members of your household staff, save Meredith (who had been running an errand for you since Polly’s arrival and who you wanted to save for last, aside from your husband). You wanted your staff to start thinking about ways to “baby proof” your rather large, un-child friendly home. Besides, these people were with you constantly, you wanted them to hear it from you and not simply through gossip. You were a kind presence in the house, and were not unaware of the demands placed on the staff from you and your husband. You had been worried that the staff would feel this request was too far from the norm, or out of their pay grade but they all smiled and offered you warm congratulations while offering suggestions for names, nursery decor, and general tips for an expecting mother. 

As James, Tommy’s right hand in the household, came into your office to tell you that Michael, Finn, Arthur, and John had just arrived, you were finding a place to put the lovely flowers that Francis had arranged.

“All right, Y/N? What’s this William said in passing about you having some news for us? You got whatever Tommy boy needed us to pick up?” You laughed as Michael rolled his eyes at Arthur, clearly thinking that his cousin should have waited to let you greet them before launching into his questions. 

“Yes, yes, sit down.” You gestured at the chairs on the other side of your desk, as you started to make your way around your desk to rest on the edge of it, facing the boys.

“Y/N, Tommy’ll have our heads if we take too long on this errand.” Finn looked at you with a sense of youthful hesitation, eager to prove himself and not wanting to disappoint his brother.

“Are you alright?” John began.

“Do you need me to get Mom?” Michael added, suddenly concerned by how serious you looked.

“I’m fine, will you all stop worrying please? I just received some news today, and thought since you were calling anyways, I would share it with you. Tommy and I are, well, you see, I’m, I’m pregnant.” 

No sooner had the words left your mouth than three pairs of jaws dropped, and Michael, always the first to come back to reality, rushed forward to offer you a congratulatory handshake.

“Piss off, you self righteous-”

“-Alright alright, he means well” You cut off Arthur as he was shoving his cousin out of the way and reaching for you. John and Finn had the same idea and suddenly you had three very excited men taking turns picking you up and spinning you around with excitement. As soon as they put you down, you reached over and with a wink, offered a handshake to Michael who rolled his eyes and pulled you in for a hug.

“You told Tommy yet, Y/N?” Finn asked, as all four men looked at you again.

“Not yet, just found out myself a couple hours ago. And yes, Michael, Poll knows. I’ll be telling him soon as he gets home. So help you if any of you tell him first.” With one more round of hugs each, you sent the men on their way with a smile in their eyes and a slight bounce in their step at the thoughts of adding a new member to the Shelby family.   
As soon as the men left, there was a knock on your door and Meredith let herself in. 

“You alright, love? I was down in the kitchen and Alice said you were waiting for me, something about the doctor giving you news?” Meredith slowly crossed over to your desk, concerned that perhaps she should have called a doctor sooner if you were sick enough to receive some sort of news for a doctor. 

“Oh, yes. I’ll get to that in a minute. First, can you remind me later to talk to Tommy about increasing the household budget for new toys, whatever the staff needs for their new project, and the increased petrol and food?” You had decided you were going to tease Meredith. She had spent the better part of your marriage joking that she would be more excited for your future child than you would (knowing full well how excited you would be), and calling you “mum” from time to time claiming she was “just getting you used to the title”, so you figured it was high time for you to tease her right back.

“I, yes of course, I can do that. Are you sure there’s nothing you want to talk about?” Meredith furrowed her brows as she pulled out the notepad and pencil she carried for whenever an idea or task struck and you needed it recorded for future uses. 

“Yes, of course. Also, in addition to the celebratory dinner we’re having tonight, I’m thinking of having a special dinner for and with the entire staff, say maybe next Thursday? In recognition of their hard work and the good news?” You could see Meredith was torn between wanting to ask you about the news, but also in taking notes for later and not wanting to pester you since you had already said you didn’t want to share. Part of you did feel bad making her wait, but you knew that the surprise would make it all worth it. 

“Oh, and Mer, your wish has come true”. You finished your list of reminders and stared at Meredith, waiting for her to ask the inevitable.

“My wish?” You had never seen the girl look more confused, and you couldn’t help but break a smile.

“Yes, dear. Your wish for someone younger around the house. Someone new, someone you can spend time and bond with, someone, well someone like a perfect mix of me and Tommy…” 

Meredith’s eyes lit up, “Do you mean…?” Afraid to finish her question in case she had somehow put the pieces together wrong, Meredith waited for you to confirm what she was thinking, what she was hoping.

“I do, it looks like someone else will be calling me Mum soon.” You smiled as she rushed forward to take your hands.

“Oh Y/N, you’re going to be the most wonderful Mum. I can’t believe the one day I leave this damned house for you, you find out you’re with child.” You and Meredith laughed together as you hugged, both excited for what the future would hold. 

And so, with a day’s full of interactions down, here you were in your office, looking at your husband. You thought of how good he was when Finn was younger, and how when he thought there was nobody looking and no work to be done, he would play with John’s children. You remembered the first time he heard a child call him Uncle Tommy, and the way he smiled with pride. If this was how exciting it was to be an aunt and uncle, you couldn’t wait to tell him you were going to be a mum and dad.

“Y/N!” You blinked back into focus and realized that during your daydreaming about your day, your poor husband was just sitting waiting for you to answer him.

“Yes, sorry love, I was just thinking.”

“Care to invite me into this one sided conversation? You clearly know more than I do.” You laughed, thinking back to how you had said nearly the same thing to Polly, and at how many of your patterns of speech your husband had picked up through the years of knowing you.

“Yes, well, it’s just, well it’s rather big news and I suppose I hadn’t gotten around to deciding how I was going to tell you. I was so busy getting ready for it, it never even occurred to me to plan this part. And I-” You kept rambling as you let your husband guide you out of your chair, around your desk and to the couch where he sat down, pulling you into his lap. 

“Sweetheart, whatever it is we’ll deal with it, yeah?” Tommy put one hand on the side of your face, gentle cupping it as he leaned in to give you a sweet kiss. You loved how confident, powerful and badass your husband was but you also loved the sweeter moments that would sometimes happen at home.

“Thomas, I’m pregnant.” You felt your husband freeze as the thumb that had been gently rubbing your face stopped moving. Maybe you had made the wrong choice by telling everyone, and telling them so soon, you were just so excited, perhaps you should have waited and told your husband first.

“What?”

“I said, I’m pregnant, Tom. We’re going to be parents.” You could usually read Tommy better than anyone but this time, you weren’t sure what was going through his mind. There were still bad days from all he’d seen in the war and in the streets with the Peakys, there were days he thought about his own father and wondered if he’d be any better. You also knew that there were good days, there were days spent with the family and days where he could just be Tommy, your Tommy, and not be the Tommy Shelby. You just hoped that right now he was seeing a future of those days. 

Tommy moved his hand away from your face and set it on your stomach, you looked down at his hand; when you looked back up he had the same smile on his face that he had when he saw you walking down the aisle. 

“What are you thinking, baby?” You put your hand over Tommy’s, knowing that you couldn’t feel the baby yet but that this was, effectively, the first time you were both “holding” them. 

“We’re gonna be bloody parents.” Tommy laughed and stood up, spinning you around. 

“We are indeed, Mr. Shelby”. You giggled as Tommy put you down, and leaned up to give him a quick kiss. 

“Hold on, does that mean everyone knew before me?” You saw the gleam in your husband’s eyes and knew that despite the way he asked, he wasn’t mad, just teasing. 

“Well….” You started, as you ran out of his arms, giggling, down to the dining room, thinking about how best to celebrate with the man laughing and chasing you now that he had a new title: Tommy Shelby, husband, brother, son, nephew, head of The Family, head of the Peaky Blinders, future MP, and dad.


End file.
